Game over for traditional recruiting: this is how gamification in recruitment works

We have mentioned it before: gamification, a marketing trend that really started to take shape in 2022. Gamification in recruitment is becoming an ever bigger option for anyone who is tired of dull job ads and would rather recruit creatively. But does gamification suit your company? And what is actually possible? We tell you in this article and show you the best examples.

The benefits of gamification in your recruitment process

When you use gamification in your recruitment process, it can give you all sorts of insights. Into a candidate's skills and talents, for example. Or their reaction speed. If you create a game for the application process and only let candidates with the right skills through to the first interview, that already saves a lot of time. You also make the application process or onboarding more fun and active, and candidates really want to do their best to make it to the next round. But it works the other way round too. You can already give the candidate a clear picture of the atmosphere and culture in the workplace, and the type of company you are.

Recruiting or training staff through games: are there downsides too?

Yes, unfortunately there are. Making a game costs a lot of time and money. On the other hand, your time to hire does go down considerably. You also rarely get it right first time, so you will have to keep improving your game. You simply have to put energy into gamifying your recruitment! The game should not be too hard or too easy either: after all, you use it to bring in exactly the right candidates.

Examples of gamification in recruitment

Quite a few companies have already gone before you with this trend, including in the Netherlands. Albert Heijn, Deloitte and De Friesland Zorgverzekeraar, for example, have all taken on gamification in recruitment.

Examples of gamification in recruitment

Gamification in recruitment is becoming more and more popular. Quite a few companies have already gone before you with this trend, including in the Netherlands. It is often an important part of an employer's recruitment strategy. Albert Heijn, Deloitte and De Friesland Zorgverzekeraar, for example, have all taken on gamification in recruitment.

1. Albert Heijn finds trainees who really fit

If you sign up for a traineeship at Albert Heijn, you are first presented with an interactive game. Using video footage, you are taken through the store and the office, where you learn all about the company. Then you are asked questions. It is up to you to answer them correctly and quickly enough. After all, during the traineeship you also need to be able to make quick decisions! This game takes the candidate 2 to 2.5 hours, and it shortened Albert Heijn's application process from 5 months to 8 weeks. Now that is efficient recruiting!

2. Saving the world from zombies while learning consulting skills: Deloitte's approach

Deloitte wanted to train its new staff. The company used its technical skills to teach new employees basic consulting skills. It replaced a three-day course with a unique game. The player, the main character in a zombie apocalypse, has to save humanity. They do so by answering all kinds of different questions. That way, the starters learn basic consulting skills such as PowerPoint, Excel and professional conduct in a playful way.

3. Training staff through play: the heroes of De Friesland Zorgverzekeraar

In 2018, health insurer De Friesland Zorgverzekeraar was looking for a fast, effective but also fun way to onboard new employees. So they created De Friesland Heroes. Through this game, the new customer service agents were prepared for the new season before the busy healthcare peak. They learned, for example, how to draw up quotes and recognise customer signals. Calls and emails also came more easily to them, and they quickly built up a lot of knowledge about that year's policy changes. So a personal and effective way of training and onboarding staff, without putting too much strain on the HR department. Another bonus: they also got higher staff retention out of it!

That is how next-level gamification can be.

Want to recruit or train staff and does gamification sound like something for you? Let's look at the possibilities together! Click and get in touch.